Background
Walter Galenson was born on December 5, 1914, in New York City, New York, United States.
116th St & Broadway, New York, NY 10027, United States
In 1934, Walter received his bachelor's degree from Columbia University. He continued his studies at this university, graduating with a Master of Science degree in 1935 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1940.
(The period immediately preceding World War II was probabl...)
The period immediately preceding World War II was probably the most critical in the history of the American labor movement. Prior to 1936, the trade unions were weak, but by 1941 a fundamental change in power relationships enabled them to penetrate the strongholds of American industry - steel and automobiles. "The CIO Challenge to the AFL" is a three-part study. It discusses the split in the American Federation of Labor and the formation of the Congress of Industrial Organizations; presents eighteen specific industry or union case studies, each an independent essay in economic history; and, finally, analyzes various general aspects of the labor movement.
https://www.amazon.com/CIO-Challenge-AFL-Publications-Industrial/dp/0674131509
1960
(What makes American labor unions distinctive from others ...)
What makes American labor unions distinctive from others in advanced Western countries is neither as simple as their wanting "more" nor as philosophical as their operating in an open-class society. Through a comprehensive analysis of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters - the largest union before the 1930's and the pioneer - Walter Galenson details the reasons for the union's success.
https://www.amazon.com/United-Brotherhood-Carpenters-Publications-Industrial/dp/0674921968
1983
(After a century of growth, trade union membership and inf...)
After a century of growth, trade union membership and influence have begun to decline in most of the economically advanced countries. This comprehensive analysis of membership trends covers developing, as well as industrialized countries. The author's thesis is that the unions have failed to pay sufficient attention to the concerns of a labor force, that is more educated, with a higher participation of women, and with a greater concern for job security, than was true in the past.
https://www.amazon.com/Trade-Union-Growth-Decline-Bio-Bibliographies/dp/0275943259
1994
(With the merger of the American Federation of Labor and t...)
With the merger of the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations in 1955, the American labor movement entered a new era. This marriage had many problems with which to deal, including jurisdictional overlap, differences on economics and politics and governance disputes. The solutions to these problems, along with problems of corruption and civil rights during the period from the Eisenhower presidency through that of the Clinton administration are discussed in this work.
https://www.amazon.com/American-Movement-1955-1995-Contributions-Studies/dp/0313296774
1996
(Despite the general decline of trade unions throughout th...)
Despite the general decline of trade unions throughout the Western world, unions in Denmark, Norway and Sweden have prospered. Why? Galenson cites their ability to organize white-collar workers, the special attention they give to the recruitment of women and their ability to undergo structural change under employer pressure.
https://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Strongest-Trade-Unions-Scandinavian/dp/1567201830
1998
economist editor educator historian author
Walter Galenson was born on December 5, 1914, in New York City, New York, United States.
In 1934, Walter received his bachelor's degree from Columbia University. He continued his studies at this university, graduating with a Master of Science degree in 1935 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1940.
Later, in 1971, Galenson attained an honorary Master of Arts degree from the University of Cambridge.
During the period from 1942 till 1945, Walter served as an economist at the United States Department of War, where, between 1942 and 1943, he was principal economist. In 1943, Galenson was appointed principal economist at the Office of Strategic Services (present-day the Central Intelligence Agency) and remained in the position until 1944.
Later, after World War II, namely during the period from 1945 till 1946, Walter acted as a labor attaché at the United States embassies in Norway and Denmark. It was in 1946, that Walter was appointed an Assistant Professor of Economics at Harvard University, the post he held till 1951, when he moved to teach Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, as a Professor of Economics. In addition, from 1957 till 1961, Walter served as chair of the Center for Chinese Studies at the same university.
In 1965, after Walter left the University of California, Berkeley, he took a position as a Visiting Professor of Economics at Cornell University. The following year, in 1966, he joined the faculty at Cornell permanently as a Professor of Economics, a post he held till 1980. Between 1970 and 1971, Walter worked as the Pitt Professor of American History and Institutions at the University of Cambridge in England.
It's worth noting, that, as Walter was increasingly active in labor and Third World economic development issues, from 1961 till 1971, he acted as a consultant to the International Labour Organization. In 1971-1972, Galenson served as a consultant in economic development to the government of Indonesia. In 1972 and 1976, he held the post of the United States delegate to the International Labour Organization.
In 1974, Walter began serving as a Visiting Professor at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. In 1980, he was appointed Jacob Gould Schurman Professor of Economics at Cornell University in Ithaca. In 1990, Galenson retired from teaching.
As for Walter's research work, in the late 1950's and early 1960's, he directed a large research project, financed by the Ford Foundation, on the economic development of the Chinese economy - one of the first studies of the modernization of the Chinese economy and its effect on surrounding nations. Also, he made the first serious study of labor productivity in the Soviet Union, thus becoming the first Westerner to do so. In addition, as a labor historian, Walter studied the history of the American labor movement in the post-AFL-CIO merger era.
During his career, Walter authored and co-authored many books, including "The Quality of Labour and Economic Development in Certain Countries: A Preliminary Study" (1964), the work, that was a pioneering study of how the living conditions of people in the Third World affected economic development in industrialized nations.
Moreover, Galenson served on Editorial Boards of different publications, including "Industrial Relations Journal" (1961-1966), "Labor History" journal (1962-1973) and "Industrial and Labor Relations Review" (1967-1974).
(What makes American labor unions distinctive from others ...)
1983(With the merger of the American Federation of Labor and t...)
1996(After a century of growth, trade union membership and inf...)
1994(Despite the general decline of trade unions throughout th...)
1998(The period immediately preceding World War II was probabl...)
1960(This work examines industrial relations in Norway.)
1949(Edited by John T. Dunlop and Walter Galenson.)
1978As a labor historian, Galenson promoted the view, that the Taft-Hartley Act and the anti-communism of the 1950's sundered the coalition labor had with political leftists, and contributed significantly to the decline of the labor movement.
Walter was a member of the American Philological Association (present-day Society for Classical Studies) and Association for Comparative Economic Studies.
Walter was married to Marjorie Galenson, a Professor of Economics, who passed away on October 26, 2014. Their marriage produced one son, David Galenson, who is a Professor in the Department of Economics and the College at the University of Chicago, and a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research, and two daughters - Alice Galenson and Emily Schneider.